New MLA-elect for Moncton South Claire Johnson plans to hit the ground running in her new role.
She says it was premier-designate Susan Holt who inspired her.
“Susan Holt was the catalyst for me. As I was watching politics, I heard that Susan Holt was attempting to be the leader of the Liberal Party. I was paying very close attention to that. So when she got chosen as leader, that was huge for me. Then when she won her seat, that’s when I decided to officially raise my hand and say, I’d like to run in the next election. So for me, Susan was absolutely the motivation to go in it,” Johnson says.
It was her first time running in a provincial election, but they put in a lot of work and she had a fantastic team.
Johnson adds there are three main priorities for Moncton South that have been clear from the start, “They align really well with my expertise and experience. We need to improve access to primary health care, we need to help with affordability, and we need to tackle the major challenges with homelessness in Moncton South.”
While door-knocking, Johnson received a pretty clear message from residents on the need for change in the province.
“I think that the Higgs government was going a little bit too far right on the ideology spectrum for a lot of New Brunswickers. So yes, looking for change, looking for more balance, looking for a government that’s more socially progressive but still fiscally responsible,” Johnson stated.
She’s also excited to work with Holt because she feels there has been a lot of division and a lot of fear in the last few years.
“Now it’s absolutely time to come together, to collaborate and to heal and to work together towards real priorities, instead of being distracted by these wedge issues that don’t even seem to be top of mind for most New Brunswickers.”
